2025 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

Citizen Action Committees in Saint-Denis de la Réunion: an innovative hyper-proximity approach to strengthen participatory democracy

The town of Saint-Denis de la Réunion, with its 156,000 inhabitants, is a model of commitment to citizen participation. The largest commune in overseas France and a multicultural crossroads, it faces major social challenges, including a poverty rate of 40%. Since 2020, under the impetus of its municipal council, the city has been deploying an ambitious hyper proximity scheme through 44 Citizen Action Committees (CACs) within its 40 neighborhoods, 13 of which have been identified as priority neighborhoods by the State. These participative bodies enable residents, elected representatives and municipal departments to work together to find concrete solutions to local problems.

As veritable laboratories for participatory democracy, the CACs are designed to transform individual dynamics into collective initiatives for the common good. Since their creation, these committees have enabled the implementation of 170 actions in the fields of culture, social inclusion, living environment, safety, health and the reduction of inequalities. These initiatives are based on shared diagnoses, to improve understanding of local needs and the co-construction of appropriate solutions.

A practical guide co-constructed by the participants consolidates best practices, while training courses focusing on group cohesion, project methodology and shared diagnoses reinforce members' skills. Municipal support takes the form of technical and financial assistance, and the involvement of dedicated project managers.

The CAC initiative is based on an innovative, evolving methodology. After a prefiguration and communication phase, the CACs have structured their actions around a set of internal rules and operating procedures tailored to each neighborhood. Today, the skills acquired by CAC members enable them to play a relevant role in urban renewal projects, citizen appropriation and regulatory bodies. Their exemplary action demonstrates the importance of experimentation in implementing participatory solutions.

This approach not only helps strengthen citizenship and social cohesion, but also improves the effectiveness of public decision-making.

• https://www.saintdenis.re/ (External link)
• Guide à usage des CAC
   (External link)